Foreign-Owned Companies in Oklahoma: What’s the Real Story?

Since the great recession of 2008, the number of foreign-owned companies in Oklahoma has increased by 600%. While that may get mixed reactions from some, there's a lot more to the story.

Sure, there are stand-alone businesses in the state belonging to individuals not of America, but those are the few and far between on the massive list. The real gold in Oklahoma that other countries have come for is way out in our "flyover" territory.

It started with agriculture. 

Back in 2008, the amount of land held by foreign companies had been nearly the same for decades. Just shy of 50,000 acres. As the economy recovered, skip to 2025 and landholdings total right around 350,000 acres.

It's all farmed and ranched for one reason or another. Crops, hay, lots of cattle and hogs, chickens, eggs, and even marijuana.

Some prime examples - a Mexican cattle company out in Cimaron County. They run 100k head of cattle. China owns Smithfield and a pretty massive hog farm and processing plant in the state. Mexico also owns OK Foods. They produce chicken and eggs in the Sooner State.

Along with taxes and state revenue come jobs. Some 48,000 Oklahomans are employed by 140 foreign owners across nearly 400 Sooner State business fronts.

It has ruffled feathers.

As much as Oklahoma farmers love to complain about exactly this, I've never known one to say "no" when any buyer shows up with cash in hand to buy the farm.

It's not only agriculture. 

You'd be surprised how many foreign businesses there are in Oklahoma, many of which you likely contribute to in any given day.

7-Eleven, Budweiser, Firestone Tire, Holiday Inn, Gerber, Trader Joe's and Aldi.

The list is massive.

While that makes some Oklahomans cringe, we do benefit from our business diversity in the form of jobs and taxes.